Germans and Italians already had a good command over the automotive market in the twentieth century while the Japanese arrived a little late. However, during the 50s and 60s, the Japanese industry showed great prospects and Toyota wanted to solidify its ground as well. At that time, almost all carmakers used to lure the audience with a grand tourer or a magnificent sports car into their showrooms to promote and sell the more affordable regular cars.
Starting from Ford to Chrysler, Mercedes to BMW, Ferrari to Porsche, everyone was guilty of the same and Toyota was not among the ones to abstain from such pleasure. The Toyota 2000GT was a front mid-engined, two-door coupe with rear-wheel drive. The manufacturing process started in the early 60s and the first one was made public at the Tokyo Motor Show in 1965. The main manufacturing years are considered from 1967 to 1970 and due to the decline in sales, the GT did not continue its production in the 70s.
Who designed the Toyota 2000GT?
Yamaha, a two-wheeler manufacturer, turned its attention to making sports cars during the late 50s and at one point there was the Technical Research Institute from the brand that delivered the 4-cylinder YX30 sports car. However, things did not go as planned as Yamaha had to close down the research facility but the management did not give up on their dreams.
Yamaha signed a contract with Toyota about building a sports car for them and a lot of the design of the 2000GT came from the former. However, Toyota did not accept the full design as there were some improvements from Satoru Nozaki, the brand’s industrial designer at that time. We are glad that it happened that way because we just can’t get enough of the grand tourer’s sloping roofline, the pop-in headlights, and the expressive interior.
How much horsepower does the Toyota 2000GT have?
The Toyota sports car has a longitudinal 2.0L naturally aspirated straight-6 engine that they called the 3M. The engine, based on the Toyota Crown sedan, was fitted with 3 two-barrel Mikuni-Solex 40 PHH carburetors coupled with the DOHC that produced around 150 horsepower and 129 lb.-ft of maximum torque.
There were 9 specially made 2000GTs with a slightly larger 2.3L inline-6 cylinder engine with a SOHC. The lower power output of 140 hp at 3,800 rpm had it named 2M in the industry. The power-assisted disc brakes and the limited slip differential were introduced for the first time in Japan by the Toyota GT. The use of coil springs on double wishbones on all four wheels delivered incredible ride quality and with a 5-speed manual gearbox or optional 3-speed automatic, the sports car offered great acceleration.
What makes the 2000GT so famous?
The Toyota GT was a limited edition which might not have been by choice but having great performance and incredible styling available in only 351 units obviously calls for attention. The sports car was also successful in several competitions throughout the years. A 3rd position at the 1966 Japanese Grand Prix, a win in the inaugural Suzuka 1000 Kilometers the same year, and 24 Hours of Fuji as well as the Fuji 1000 Kilometers the year after made the 2000GT incredibly famous in Japan.
The Toyota was a Bond Car in 1967. Not the fastback coupe version but there were two specially-made open-top 2000GTs for the 007 movie “You Only Live Twice”. The Sean Connery starrer was filmed in Japan and it made more sense when the beloved spy used the roadster on Japan’s roads. However, the open-top version was never released in the market.
How much is the 2000GT from Toyota worth today?
The Toyota Grand Tourer was originally priced around $7,150 in 1968 and it was above the likes of the Jaguar E-Type or the Porsche 9111 S. Although there were more expensive options in the market like the Ferrari 365 GTB/4, the Toyota was considered a pricey affair.
It is only natural that an expensive sports car with unmatched design and impressive output from the late 60s will have a significant value at present. The average figure the 2000GT is sold at is about a million USD but the top sale made by the same was a record $2.5M in March 2022. Only 150 units of the Toyota were sent overseas, out of which only 60 reached the US making it a rarer find in this market.
